The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-08-18


I Oh, do! Now won't you?"
Nine too" screamed Davy, who
had a hoarse cold.
''Oh, shut up" snapped Potter. Il
| don't want two babies taggin' at nv
heels. Somebody's got to stay with
Lott"
/ ''Why; there's Aunt Pratt" said Ida.
Maybe she'd like to go; would you
Aunty?"- asked Potter, blandly. He
had mind to keep the right side of a
woman with s'means"
''MeT said the old lady, with stern
reproof in her voice and face. s.Me
I go to such place? No, indeed!''
well, well! everybody to their
mind. like a bit of fun first rate,
now and then. We 90 quite consider
able, first and last; body must be
amused"
go, fatherr put in Mrs. Potter,
urged by the, whispered teasing and
cross faces Of Ida ana Davy, do take
them children along! Ida hasn't been
nowhere since Lott was took sick; and
Davys only boy. Let him have a
| good time while he can; his troubles
will come fast enough before long.
Now, do let 'em 60"
''Well, guess they can. Lott won't
want 'em if Aunt Pratt's here"
So at night he came home with four
tickets to the performance, a bag of
peanuts and paper of candy, and
they set out to enjoy themselves. Tom
had announced at noon that he was
''goin' to take his girl"
Aunt Pratt groaned in spirit. can
other hole in the bag, and big one!"
she said to herself.
When would the doctors bill and the
debts at the drug store and the grocer's
! ever be paid?
i Aunt Pratt had always lived in the
country and been honest. She had no
experience OF the class who crowd our
theaters, minstrel show halls and cir
cuses, who buy cheap inery and ex-
| pensive, poor beer and bad butter, but
never pay their rent or lay up one
| penny In all their lives.
As spring came on Aunt Pratt no.
ticed one day that Potter looked dis
gusted with his dinner, and Lofty left
hers untasted. No wonder! Aunt
Pratt could not eat it herself. The po-
tatoes were poor and boiled to wat
cry, insipid mass; the calves liver
fried to a black, leathery substance;
the bread old and dry, and the turnips
| rank and unsavOry.
| Il say. pa" exclaimed Tom, 'swe're
all gettin' spring poor. don't care a
hang for my vittles. Let's have a
dozen of lager, that'll set us all up"
| So the lager came, was used up, and
another dozen ordered, and then an
other; but the appetites did not inn
prove-nor the cooking. At last the
beer seller refused to fetch more, un-
less what he had brought them was
paid for.
''Oh, dear! Oh, dearr' sighed Aunt
Pratt. What a hole in the bagr
Next day she said to her niece:
"Lowisy, will you let me buy and
took the dinner to morrow? Tllmake
you present of all the vittles l get,
if you will"
Louisa consented, much astonished,
and Aunt Pratt came back from mar
ket with two pounds of solid beef-a
coarse piece. it is true, but cheap and
fresh. She bought few onions, a
carrot and one small stalk of celery,
the whole cost SO cents. Then she pre-
pared a stew. and pairing the potatoes
putlthem in cold water till it was time
to add them; the celery, two onions,
half carrot sliceu thin, was put in
with the beef, which she had cut into
pieces of perhaps two inches square.
Salt and pepper were sprinkled in lib
orally, and as she put her stew on be-
fore breakfast and let it simmer all
morning, adding the sliced potato at
Ii o'clock, it was well done by noon.
George! how good the dinner
smells! calculated Tom.
''Got roast turkey, Lou?" inquired
Pnttar sniffiinor an1 Sp,ollioor
Even listless Lou wanted some din
ner that day; the rest recovered theil
ppetites-without any more lager!
Il wish the land you learn cookin
of Aunt Prattr' said Potter.
Il wonder if I've sewed up that
hole?" thought Aunt Pratt.
But she had not. Louisa was toe
old to learn new tricks, as we say
about dogs; she continued to buy the
best meat and cook in the worst way
and still the money leaked from tha
hole in the bag.
'sHullo, Tom!' said Potter one Sun
day morning, as Tom sauntered int
the room with half-smoked cigar il
his mouth. 'Ain't you toney? Why
that cigar smells like a roser'
Aunt Pratt wondered what sort o
rose had an odor like tobacco.
1T had ought to-" sententiously re
marked Tom Them fellers cost M
5 cents apiece by the hundred"
''Well, kin put up with my pipe 81
fur; but you young fellers have got t.
have your fling, / reckon. Bym-b,
you'll fall back on brier wood and mig
ger head"
Another hole in the bag" mur
INJURED Aunt Pratt, who had patientl7
darned Toms threadbare socks ant
patched his worn shirts for him ever,
: week for months.
well, here / bep' shouted Potter a
he came in one Monday morning abou
10 o'clock.
"Why, what has fetched you homeP
inquired his wife.
'.Oh, our fellows have struck; we'r
goin' to have less work and more pay
! them darned capitalists has overrod
us long enough; we're bound to hav
) our share of the dollars. we make, nov
tell your
!, For the mercy's sake!" calculate
Louisa.
. Where are you going to wor
now?" dryly asked Aunt Pratt.
why, back again as soon as tn
7 bosses come to terms"
but supposin' they shouldn't"
.'Oh, they got to, can't lose thei
, contracts, no way; we've got 'em wher
the hairs short"
But supposin they hold out for
e months time or six weeks?"
.'Oh, we get allowance out of tn
assessments; we amt goin' to starve.
/, "Who's paying them assessments?
= The fellers that have got none
!. = laid away; they're taxed for the ger
eral good; so much a week till til
. strikes over"
BE you assessed"
Lord! do you think I've got Ger
. in the bank? Four children and stary
$ ing wages. What's 50 day with fou
: in the family, an clothes, an rent, al
= vittles, an light, an fuel, an doctors
i an Lord knows what all?"
:. "A bag with holes| ran throug
! Aunt Pratt's mind as she looked bac
on the past six months.
Weeks passed on; the ''bosses" wer
: not only firm but hired other men
the strikers places and went on wit
the contracts. Potter sulked, an